A "drum," as used in this application and in any appended claims, refers to a percussion instrument that is sounded by striking or otherwise acoustically exciting a skin or membrane, sometimes referred to as a "drumhead" in this specification, stretched across an aperture formed by the shell of the instrument. Drums clearly antecede written human history. The tone produced by a drum is due to vibrations excited in the skin and varies as the material properties of the skin changes. These properties include the tension in the skin. The design of a drum may provide for modifying the tension in the skin of the drumhead. In particular, tension may be provided by tension members adjusted by means of adjustment screws, for example. Alternatively, the skin may be fixed to the frame. In either case, the tension in the skin of the drumhead may vary due to changes in ambient temperature or humidity differentially affecting the drumhead and the frame. In the case of drums with adjustable skin tensions, changes in tension due to variations in ambient conditions require readjustment of the tension.